When Dorchester Publishing announced that it was going to an all digital format in the near future, I wasn’t terribly surprised.  It was fairly well known that the company had been struggling financially lately, and the Powers-that-Be likely thought by going digital and shrinking the editorial staff to the barest of minimums, they’d shave the cost of business and be able to stay afloat. 

It is true that electronic publishing, especially romance fiction, has increased over the past few years.  Several e-publishers have garnered much respect for their business ethics and superior products – that being their ability to put good novels in the hands (or devices) of readers. 

Another factor in the increase of e-sales has do to with there being more user-friendly devices available.  Those range from low-end $169 to top of the line $845.  There’s also a more standardized form of e-files and the several readers offer download files or apps so you can read most if not all of them. 

For years e-publishing has been touted as the wave of the future.  But according to the latest RWA statistics, it still only accounts for 5.4% of books sold while paperbacks account for 90.6% of the market.  But what would happen if those numbers were reversed?  What if print publishing was on the endangered list?

Here’s a short list of what would vanish if books became obsolete.

• Bookmarks.  No bound books, no need for book marks
• Book lights.  The majority of e-readers have backlights so you can read in a dark room.
• Bookstores.  Why build and staff stores if all they offered were downloads? 
• Book signings.  Impossible to sign a digital copy downloaded on a device.
• Book bags.  Hmm, you could use them for your groceries. 
• Libraries.  Okay, I suppose they’d be around to archive those old tomes. 

And that’s not touching on the industry that’s needed to get a book into publication, plus the staff and the cost of promotion to get books top shelf space in a bookstore. 

• Cover artists, models and photographers. 
• Printing houses. 
• Paper suppliers.
• Distributors.

I totally agree that having the ability to house hundreds of books in one slim reading device is fabulous.  But you know, I still love the tactile feel of a book.  If I drop it or it gets wet, it doesn’t break. 

So what’s your preference?  All digital reader?  A mix of both?  Or are you a lover of real books and don’t ever want to see them disappear?

I’m an admitted chocoholic, especially the dark rich kind.   But I won’t turn my back on milk chocolate either.  Though I really try not to overindulge, I almost need that little bit of chocolate every day. It makes me feel good. Satisfied in that deep hmmm way.

Best part.  It’s a feel good treat that is also good for you, at least the dark chocolate is with its increased antioxidants.

Ok, so what is the connection between chocolate and love? (Besides the, come-on, who doesn’t love chocolate?)

Scientifically speaking, true love is a chemical alteration of the brain when adrenaline-like neurochemicals surge to fuel the attraction between a couple. Let me get technical for a moment. Those chemicals are phenylethylamine (the same chemical in chocolate–yes!), dopamine (which makes you feel marvelously good), and norephinephrine (the thing that makes our hearts gallop when with are with that special someone) Sigh

Those three little chemicals have the power to suspend logic in the brain, hence the assurity that one has truly fallen head over heels in love. These babies are the infatuation chemicals, and you can blame them for getting you hooked up with Mr. Wrong in the first place. Finally a reason!

How long does this infatuation stage last? Experts say this rush of chemicals can end anywhere from six months to three years. After that you either take a look at your partner and go eck!

Or you have landed on genuine, real love. Congratulations!!!

I still get excited about going to Disney World (though up to now I’ve only visited Disneyland.)  When I was five years old, I got my first “Mickey ears”, and yes, I still have them.  Walt Disney did create a Magic Kingdom with that first theme park in L.A. because when you walked through those doors, you saw his world of imagination through a child’s eyes. 

And make no mistake the Magic Kingdom is geared for children from the array of kiddy rides to the many movies characters who stroll the park.  But there is also a great deal of adult appeal there as well.  Everything that Disney created, from the theme parks to the wide variety of caroons and movies, speaks to all ages – if you just listen. 

The reality of his dream became so globally huge that it’s hard to believe he started his first cartoon, called Alice’s Wonderland, in his second floor studio in Kansas City.  From the 1920s to the 1950s, Disney made many animated films and short cartoons that won countless awards.  The characters from his imagination became real around the world.  Mickey, Minnie, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Snow White, Cinderella, Bambi, just to name a few.  

Because he was always looking for a new creative mountain to climb, he turned his talents toward an amusement park.  Built in 1955, Disneyland was the place where parents and children could have fun together.  But Disney promised that his park would never be completed “as long as there was imagination left in the world.”

It’s been added to over the years, and before Disney’s death in 1966, he bought land in Florida to build a park that would dwarf Disneyland.  His brother Roy finished Walt’s dream in 1971, naming the new park Walt Disney World. 

And that’s where I am now!

Romance Writers of America is having their annual conference here this week.  What an awesome place to see the world through a child’s eyes again!  Are you a Disney fan?  Have to been to a Disney park more than once?  What’s your favorite Disney place?

Janette will be signing copies of her latest books at the RWA Literacy Signing Wednesday, July 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, Pacific Exhibit Hall, in Orlando, Florida.  All proceeds are donated to charity.

Jane Porter has graciously donated two copies of  Duty, Desire and the Desert King, so we have four books to give away. 

Congrats to winners — runner10, Chey, Crystal B, and eap!!!  You’ve all won one of the  2010 RITA nominated series contemporary romance novels: Duty, Desire and the Desert King by Jane Porter, The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas, One Night Mistress Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister.  Please send your choice of books: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice, to JanetteKenny AT gmail DOT com.  Also please include your mailing address. 

The RITA Award Ceremony is an exciting end to the RWA conference, and a special moment for the finalists.  One of these authors will win the coveted RITA statue for Contemporary Series Romance.

Not-So-Perfect Past by Beth Andrews
Nina Carlson knows all about Dillon Ward. Knows he served time in prison. Knows nobody pulled out the welcome mat when he moved to Serenity Springs. But that doesn’t stop her from renting him a place to live. And when someone crashes into her bakery, he’s just the man to fix the damage.

And Nina isn’t the only one who thinks Dillon’s the perfect man for the job: her two kids have taken a shine to him. Still, she can’t afford to get close to Dillon, even if he is tempting her to toss out her good girl shoes. Because it’s not that she doesn’t trust him. It’s that she doesn’t trust herself.

From the Outside by Helen Brenna                           
With rumors he has a mistress in every major city, rookie NASCAR driver Roberto Castillo is the quintessential playboy.  That is, until Cargill Motorsports orders him to clean up his act.  Fortunately, he’s found just the girl to put a shine on his tarnished public image. 

There’s not a girl in America who could out-wholesome pretty actress Mallory Dalton.  When Roberto suggests they date–for appearances only–Mallory knows that Roberto’s bad-boy reputation could ruin her good-girl image.  But maybe that just what she wants …    Unfortunately, even the best laid plans can … backfire.

The Snow-Kissed Bride by Linda Goodnight
A secluded cabin nestled in the Rockies is the perfect place for Melody Crawford to hide from the world. With her two faithful dogs, she fearlessly puts her life on the line to rescue missing people…but the rest of her life is a mystery.

Ex-army ranger John North needs Melody-s help–she knows the unforgiving mountains better than anyone. Melody sees John as an outsider, but this enigmatically beautiful woman calls to the man inside him. She needs to trust him, and, come what may, he-ll break down her barriers–kiss by snowy kiss….

Single Mom Seeks… by Teresa Hill                                                 
Gorgeous men were like fudge…   Delicious, sensual and mostly bad for you.

At least that’s what single mother Lily Tanner thought. Especially when Nick Malone moved in next door. Nick was a feast for her eyes, all rippling muscles and perfect proportions. After her disastrous marriage, Lily wanted nothing to do with men ever again. Yet when Nick needed help keeping the salivating neighborhood housewives at bay, he turned to her. His idea was simple: pretend they were a couple to ward off the others. But his methods–close contact and lots of touching–were wreaking havoc on Lily’s convictions. Because, as with fudge, after just one taste of Nick Malone, she wanted more!

Revealed: a Prince and a Pregnancy by Kelly Hunter
When heiress Simone Duvalier sashays back into Rafael Alexander’s life, Rafe can’t wait for her to head back home and leave him to his empire-building in Australia. They once shared so much, but all that remains are memories and the desire to bed her…

The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas                             
It’s Christmas time in London, and unwittingly Grace is swirled into the sumptuous and scandalous world of Prince Maksim Rostov. When the unworldly secretary learns he took her innocence in exchange for a business deal, broken-hearted she flees.

But when Maksim discovers Grace’s pregnancy secret, the ruthless Russian drags her to his guarded mansion in snowy Moscow. There he’ll keep her as his captive bride and unwilling princess….

One-Night Mistress…Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister
Three years ago Natalie was utterly humiliated when handsome, debonair Christo Savas rejected her clumsy advances. Now, suddenly, unexpectedly she finds herself at Christo’s beck and call.

Natalie is older now, wiser by far. She won’t fall for him again — she hopes.

But Christo has other ideas now that the little firecracker has grown up. Now he is more than ready to take what she once offered. He wants just one night to satisfy his desire — But one night is never enough!

Duty, Desire, and the Desert King by Jane Porter                      
As the black sheep of the Fehrs, a powerful desert family, middle son Zayed has sworn off love and marriage. This playboy prince is happiest when cruising the casinos of Monte Carlo. But then family tragedy leaves him as heir to his kingdom’s throne. Custom dictates that a wife must be seated beside him, and he’s got just the bride in mind…

Rou Tournell is a feisty, independent woman — and if she won’t marry Zayed for duty, maybe desire will help persuade her…

I Still Do by Christie Ridgway
Shy librarian Emily Garner needed to live a little. And a chance meeting with childhood love Will Dailey proved Sin City was the perfect place for a wild weekend. So wild, in fact, that they barely remembered getting hitched….

Will hadn’t seen Emily in years…and now she was his wife! She was every bit the schoolboy fantasy he remembered. But he’d spent the past seventeen years weighed down by family responsibilities, and now all he wanted was to enjoy the carefree bachelor life. He didn’t want to be tied to sweet, beautiful, deliciously innocent Emily…did he?

Good luck to the finalists!  It’s easy to see why these books were nominated just by reading the back blurbs. 

What about you?  Have you read any of these novels?  If not, which ones would you buy based on the back copy?   I’m giving away three novels to three commenters – your choice, first come, first serve.    So share your thoughts for a chance to win:  Duty, Desire, and the Desert King by Jane Porter,  One-Night Mistress…Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister, or The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas.

When I was a kid, we spent the summer weekends at the lake. Many times those were long weekends which made the fun last longer. We swam, we boated and generally lazed around for a few days eating most of our food over an open fire.                 

I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything, though I’d always wished my family was the type who took the long vacation far from home. I can only remember us doing that a few times, and it was pretty clear my dad wasn’t the type who enjoyed driving endlessly.  We weren’t the Art Griswold family vacationers, but it was dangerously close to it!   

I was in my twenties before I ever visited Disneyland in LA, or saw Mt. Rushmore, or spent a vacation at a posh resort. Sorry, I don’t count the little cabin tucked in the woods by the lake that was little better than shelter from the sun and rain. 

On my first trip to California, I soaked up every detail with glee, something I’m sure I wouldn’t have done when I was much younger.  I fell in love with the beach, with the soothing sounds of waves lapping on sand and rocks.  It was a whole new world to this Midwest girl!  It’s still a  favorite place to unwind. 

I think Webster’s Dictionary defines vacation perfectly, (especially 2 a & b.) 1: a respite or time of respite from something 2 a: a scheduled period during which activity is suspended b: a period of exemption from work granted to an employee for rest and relaxation 3: a period spent away from home or an act or instance of vacating.

Yeah, rest and relaxation.  Now that’s a vacation!

What about you? Did you have favored vacation spots with your family? What’s your rest and relaxation ideal getaway?

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway at Jaunty Quills.   All you have to do is comment for a chance to win a Sony e-reader!

Last week I starting walking with my dog again. I need the exercise and so does Sam after staying in nearly all winter. I can do a two mike hike without a problem, though Sam  slows down a lot on the way back. But considering how nuts he is at first, it’s no wonder. He expends his energy before we’ve walked a block!

Sam really needs a lot training on the leach “in public.” He’s just fine in the house or in the back yard where I’ve done the bulk of training with him. But once we walk out the door and head to the curb, look out.  I’ve tried carrying training treats in the hope he’d be swayed by food, but he’s not the least bit interested and barely listens to me. 

Thankfully he’s not the least bit agressive to people or other dogs we pass. 

But his attention swings back and forth to other things at a mind-numbing rate. I can imagine what goes through his mind. “Ooo a squirral, ooo a rabbit, ooo a grasshopper, ooo  a leaf blowing across the sidewalk.” And on and on…

If he wasn’t behaved in the house I’d swear he had canine ADHD! And yes, dogs can get it.

In theory Sam is supposed to be a fairly laid-back dog. He’s half chow chow, and here’s what it says on their site about chows and exercise.

The Chow Chow will do with brisk daily walks and with some romps in the yard or in the garden. It is not a high-energy breed and will not need a lot of exercise, just enough to keep it fit and healthy.

Energy Level:
Below average.

Ok, the behaved quiet indoor side of Sam is chow.  And yes, he does look calm.  Believe me that picture is deceiving!

We’re not sure about his daddy, but the vet guessed either shepherd or golden retriever. (After that first walk of the season, I’m suspecting puppy daddy was a Mazda! Zoom-zoom…)

So I told the vet I was worried that Sam was hyper and she suggested that along with exercise that I increase his mental stimulation.  I googled mental exercises for dogs because seriously I don’t know what Sam would find challenging when he is poke-nosy about everything.

A game of hide and seek can be played both indoors and outdoors. Many dogs will naturally play this game both because they are instinctually good at tracking and retrieving and because they want to be in their owners presence. Hide and seek requires that your dog use her mental skills to track you down.

In theory this is great, but we tried this one and I’m not fond of when Sam catches me because he just pounces.  That’s fine for a puppy but he weighs sixty-five pounds now.  Him pouncing on my lap now???  (Think the movie Elf.)

Exercise. Lots of exercise. If you can incorporate exercise with another activity such as playing, “Find the ball,” or doing some agility exercises, then that’s even better.

Sam’s not a ball kind of dog. He has a huge Nylabone and a thick knotted rope, both chewing exercises. But if I tell him to fetch either he does. So he’s not a dumb dog. 

 Brain teaser toys. There are a number of cool toys that actually challenge your dog’s mind. For example, one of the more popular ones is the “Buster Cube,” a plastic cube that releases a pellet of food, every third or fourth time the Cube is rolled over. Or kong toys where you put a treat inside and the dog has to find a way to get it out.

Next time I’m in the pet store, I’ll pick one of these up. Who knows, maybe  all Sam needs to get him used to listening to me is mental stimulation.  Maybe he’ll settle down yet and be a great dog to take out in public.

Or maybe this is simply Sam, and he’s going to go through life full tilt — tongue lolling, tail wagging and running with the wind.    

So I’m open for some advice. Anyone have a better idea to get Sam to listen?  Any hints for when we’re out walking and he’s trying to lung ahead?  Do you have a pet that has a mind of its own?

Karyn Gerrard is the winner of Innocent in the Italian’s Possession.  Congrats, Karyn.  Please send your mailing address to me at JanetteKenny AT gmail DOT com. 

And drum roll…   Innocent in the Italian’s Possession hit the USA Today Bestseller list!   I am over the top thrilled.

I’ve always had a fascination with everything Italian.

And what’s not to love about a country that has miles upon miles of sun-kissed beaches – Italian Riviera, the Amalfi Coast, the Isle of Capri.  Fabulous foods and wines – pizza, risotto, fabulous soups, pastas and a wonderful array of fresh fish dishes.   And the desserts!  Amaretto chocolate mousee, canoli, panne cotta, granita, and tiramisu to name just a few.    

And oh so handsome men who have refined flirting to a fine art.  Like Italian footballer and sought after celebritiy Christian Vieri.  The guy has retired from the sport but is still a noted sex icon in Italy.   

The hero in my just released romance Innocent in the Italian’s Possession is just as sexy and bold, with an extra dose of masculine pride, arrogance and towering ego tossed in.

Stefano is a forward thinker, a shrewd businessman and fervent ecologist. His views on business clashed with his father’s old-world style of running the family company, and his ego wouldn’t let him play the third role in the business under his brother and father. But though he’s been estranged from his family for years, he immediately comes to his father’s aid when tragedy strikes. And just as quickly he forms the wrong impression of his father’ s personal secretary with immediate ideas of enacting revenge for the wrong he’s convinced she’s done.

Gemma has been the keeper of her boss’s darkest secret for years, a secret that binds them as close as family. When he falls ill and his errant son takes over the family business, she has a terrible choice to make. Let Stefano go on believing she’s his father’s mistress, or tell the truth and risk tearing his family apart.

One thing is certain. When an Italian man sets his sights on seduction, all is fair in love and war!

I love writing and reading about misunderstandings bound by dark secrets and hope you do too. I’m giving away an autographed copy of Innocent in the Italian’s Possession. Just comment below about Italian food, vacations, or Italian men! I’ll pick one name and announce the winner on Sunday.

Janette is thrilled to announce that Innocent in the Italian’s Possession is a Border’s Group top-ten bestselling novel, and a Nielson Bookscan bestselling novel.  She’ll be signing copies of this book and a select few of her historical backlist titles on June 12 at Books A Million in Kansas City. Check her website for exact location and times.